Sandy relief: WH seeks $60 billion

The White House sent Congress a $60.4 billion request for disaster aid late Friday, weighted heavily with community development and transit funding to help states like New York and New Jersey recover from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.

About $55 billion of the total would be designated as emergency money outside the budget caps adopted in 2011. And while most of the focus is on the immediate recovery, the request includes an almost $13 billion down payment toward longer term efforts to protect against future disasters.

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For example, the budget documents show $6.2 billion is requested in recovery funds for the transit, and $5.5 billion more for mitigation. The same is the case with Community Block Grants: The request seeks $15 billion to respond now and $2 billion for later mitigation efforts.

FEMA, which has been at the center of the effort, would be allocated $21.5 billion altogether, including $9.7 billion to replenish the national flood insurance fund. And as much as $5.35 billion would go to the Army Corps of Engineers.

With little time left this year, Senate Appropriations Committee leadership expects to begin drafting immediately in hopes of having a bill on the floor as early as next week. That package is also expected to include significant legislative language to give federal agencies more discretion over how to spend the recovery dollars.

Housing and Urban Development Secy. Shaun Donovan — President Barack Obama’s point man in leading the recovery effort — spoke of the need for this flexibility during a Senate hearing Wednesday. And an executive order issued by Obama Friday empowers Donovan to lead a new Hurricane Sandy task force inside the administration.

But legislative language will also be needed and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who will help manage the Senate bill, is a strong advocate of such reforms after her own state’s experience with Katrina.

“The request is crafted to afford maximum flexibility to state governments and we will continue to work with the Administration and Congress as our needs arise,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said in a joint statement. “We thank President Obama for his steadfast commitment of support and look forward to continuing our partnership in the recovery effort.”